Sand and gas trap



Feb. 6, 1940. M, W RUSS'ELL ET AL 2,189,272

SAND AND GAS TRAP Filed Aug. 22, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 6, 1940. M. w. RUSSELL ET AL.

SAND AND GAS TRAP 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Aug. 22, 1938 M Wzas'sell P. ZJLZZQ?? INVENToRs.

ATTQRNEYS.

Patented Feb. 6, 1940 PATENT oEFlcE SANDANDGASTBAP Marvin W. Russell and Paul G. Miller, Royalty, Tex.

Application August 22, 1938, Serial No. 226,164 1 Claim. (Cl. 210-57) This invention relates 'to a sand and gastrap for use in oil wells, an object of the invention being to provide a simple but efficient trap which, when in its proper position. within the well, will cause the sand and gas to separate from the oil before it enters the pump barrel, thereby reducing to a considerable extent the wear on the pump barrel, valves and teeth.` eliminating valve 1sticking to a considerable extent, and cause the Pump to operate more steadily and thereby increase production.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel detalls of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of 'parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view partly in vertical section and partly in elevation of a portion of the apparatus constituting the present invention.

Figure 1a is a similar view showing the re' malning or lower portion of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section throughthe upper portion of the trap.

Figure 2a is a similar view through the lower portion thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on line 3-3 Figure 2. l

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on line 4-4 Figure 5 is an enlarged section on line H Figure 2a.

Figure 6 is a section of one of the collars before it has been contracted Aand welded.

Figure 7 is asection through a portionof the baille barrel prior to the insertion of the bailles.

Referring to the gures by characters of reference, I designates the well casing in which is suspended the tubing 2 extending upwardly from the working barrel 3 of the pump 4.

`The trap constituting the present invention is suspended from the lower portion of the working barrel to which it can be connected by a collar 5. This trap comprises a collar 6 having a nipple l extending upwardly therefrom to the collar 5 while screwed into and depending from collar 6 is a perforated suction barrel 8 the lower end of which is preferably closed by a screw l plug 9.

An intermediate collar I0 is spaced from but concentric with the collar 6 and has its upper 4 edge portion formed with incisions II so that said edge portion can be bent inwardly to form a tapered flange I2 joined to collar 6 by weld- 5' ing, it being understood that all of the slits formed by bending the edge portion of the co1- lar are likewise sealed by welding. 'I he welds referred to. have been indicated at I3 in Figure 3.

A baille barrel I4 is screwed at its upper end into the collar II) and is concentric with the 4suction barrel 8. This baille barrel is extended downwardly a desired distance into the gas and oil sands G and O and that portion of the baille barrel below the suction barrel is formed with 1I transverse slits I5 inclined inwardly and downwardly, said slits being extended into the barrel from opposed portions alternately and being extended short distances past the longitudinal center of the barrel. In each slit is seated the marginal portion of a segmental baille plate I 6 the inner straight edge of which extends transversely within the barrel. All of these plates are held in position by welding their outer arcuate edges to the adjacent portions of the wall of the barrel, as'shown at I'i.- Thus the barrel is sealed where the baille plates are joined thereto. Furthermore it will be noted that the inner portions of the bales lap and as they are inclined downwardly and inwardly in opposite directions alternately, they cooperate to form a tortuous passage extending through the barrel from the bottom upwardly.

A liner barrel I8 having a plurality of apertures therein, is extended around and spaced from the upper portion of the baille barrel and the suction barrel and the upper end of this liner barrel is contracted as indicated at I9 so as to ilt snugly against the collar I0 to which itis joined by welding, as shown at 20 in Figure 3. To facilitate the inturning of the upper end of the liner barrel. the same is preferably cut in the same manner as has been illustrated in Figure 6, the gaps between the inturned portions being closed by welds as shown at 2i. The liner barrel has an imperforate extension 2'? joined thereto by coupling sleeve 23 and the lower end of this extension, which is disposed well below the baille barrel I4, is closed by a plug 24.

'I'he properly assembled parts thus far described are placed in the well to a depth dependent upon the depth of the well, the level of the oil` in the well, and the location of the oil and gas sands. -,Th'e location should be such that, as the oil and gas come out of the sand and start 55 openings in the liner barrel I8 and then flows downwardly between said barrel and the ballle barrel I4 until the lower end of the `baille barrel is reached. During this movement of the oil any sand suspended therein will continue downwardly within the lower portionof the liner barrel, this lseparation of the sand from the oil being accelerated due to the whirling action set up by the oil as Vit reverses its direction of flow on reaching the lower end of barrel Il and starts to ascend within said barrel. As the oil moves upwardly within the baille barrel it must follow a tortuous course between the baliie's and each baille serves as a' means for retarding the upward movement of sand with the oil so thatthe sand, thus trapped, tends to gravitate to the bottom of the liner barrel 22. After it has left the last baille I6 during its ascent, the oil moves laterally into the apertured suction barrel and travels thence to the pump.

It has been found in practice that by employing a trap such as herein described, practically vto rise in `the well, the oil flows through the all of the sand'heldln suspension withixfl. the oil is separated therefrom and the oil is delivered practically free from sand and gas to the pump so that wear upon the working pass is thus greatly reduced.

Wha-t is claimed is:

A trap including an apertured suction barrel closed at its lower end, a baille barrel surrounding and spaced from the suction barrel and extending therebelow, the baille barrel being open at its lower end and closed at its upper end, superposed baiiles within the baille barrel and below the suction barrel, the bames being inclined downwardly in .opposite directions alternately thereby to provide a tortuous passage extending within the baille barrel from the lower end thereof 'to the suction barrel, and a liner barrel extending around and below the baille barrel and closed at both ends, said liner barrel having inlet openings near its upper end for the admission of oil into the space surrounding the baille barrel.

MARVIN W. RUSSEL.

PAUL G. MILLER. 

